Strasbourg - On Wednesday, 24 January 2018, President-elect of the Iranian resistance, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, attended and addressed the official meetings of the European People’s Party (EPP), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), and the Unified European Left (UEL) at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. She elaborated on the latest developments in the Iranian people’s uprising against the religious fascism ruling Iran and answered questions by PACE members.

“Over 100 PACE members supported a Written Declaration on Iran that I sponsored during the 2018 Winter Session to express our serious concerns over the brutal crackdown of the nationwide anti-regime protests in Iran”, British MP Nigel Evans from the European Conservatives Group (EC), said.

“During this session, we had the privilege to welcome the NCRI President-elect, Mrs Maryam Rajavi, to the Council of Europe and we fully support her call for urgent actions by the COE member states to back the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people and the immediate release of the thousands arrested since the beginning of the protests”, he said by referring to the declaration on the protests in Iran.

Egidijus Vareikis, member of the European People’s Party (EPP) from Lithuania and member of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights, who was one of the co-sponsors of the declaration, added, “Our group invited Mrs Rajavi to hear the views of the Iranian Resistance regarding the recent anti-regime protests in Iran and to listen to her democratic platform for future of the country. There is a strong belief that her 10-point platform offers a viable alternative to the current theocracy.”

“I agree with Mrs Rajavi that Europe can and must do more on Iran and help the protesters and I join her in urging the Council of Europe and its member states to adopt effective measures to put pressure on the Iranian regime to release the prisoners of the uprising, uphold freedom of expression and association, end repression and lift the compulsory veil”, he said.

Following its meeting with Mrs. Rajavi on Wednesday, the Unified European Left (UEL) in a statement said, “The UEL condemns the crackdown and mass arrests by the authorities, which deny the Iranian people from exercising their right to protest. The UEL calls on PACE Members to act for immediate release of those arrested and investigate the reported death of protesters.”

The declaration which has been signed by over 100 PACE members from various countries and all political parties joins Mrs Rajavi’s call “on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to set up a fact-finding mission to investigate the situation of Iran’s prisons and political prisoners, especially those arrested during the recent uprising and those killed in detention.”